


Sunsets and Strawberries

by goodfairyofny



Category: Persona 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 12:26:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 12,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11104545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodfairyofny/pseuds/goodfairyofny
Summary: A new threat in the TV world results in Kanji and Naoto finally getting together. My first fic, lots of Kannao and appearances by the rest of the P4 cast. Let me know what you think! ;) Cross posted on fanfiction.net.





	1. Chapter 1

Naoto hated shopping. She liked being with her friends, but was not pleased to have been dragged to Okina on a shopping spree by the other girls on the Investigation Team. She had tried to get out of it, but Rise-san insisted, and she seemed to always get her way in the end. They had left the boys at the usual meeting place, the Junes food court. Yosuke and Teddie were working today, so Souji and Kanji decided to hang out and chat with them while they worked. Naoto wished she was there instead of this ridiculous shopping trip that dragged on forever. 

What seemed like days but was merely hours later, the other girls were finally done, and they all headed back to town. When they got close, Rise stopped and began frantically communicating with her persona. “What?! Teddie? Why on earth are you in the TV?!”

“What’s going on, Rise-chan?” asked Yukiko. 

“The boys… they sensed a threat in the TV world and entered without us! It sounds like they’re in real trouble!” Rise exclaimed.

“Oh no! Let’s go, hurry up you guys!” yelled Chie, and they all took off running for Junes. Rise consulted with Kanzeon while they ran, getting updates from Teddie along the way.

“Rise-chan! Oh no! Kanji-chan is hurt! It looks really bad! I don’t think my healing skills are going to be enough to handle it on my own! Please get here beary fast!” exclaimed Teddie.

Naoto sped up, leaving the other girls gasping for air behind her. She arrived just slightly ahead of the other girls, prepared to run for the electronics department, when she realized that Teddie was standing before her in the food court. Naoto came to a halt, and the other girls nearly ran right into her. Naoto scanned her surroundings, then saw that Souji was helping Kanji out the door into the food court. She ran and threw her arms around him. “Kanji!” 

“H-Hey, Naoto. It’s ok. I’m alright. Worse than it looks, really,” Kanji said softly, looking quite shocked by her arms around his waist. He was also surprised to hear her drop the honorific, something Naoto didn’t ever do, despite how close everyone on the team was. 

“Let me see your wound,” she insisted. He lifted his shirt to reveal a large slice on the side of his abdomen. 

“I don’t know why I couldn’t heal it fully, Nao-chan. I tried beary hard, but it still looks really bad!” Teddie said with tears in his eyes.

“We’re going to have to stitch it”, Naoto decided. “Kanji-kun, by any chance, do you have a needle and thread in your coat pocket?”

It turned out that he did. This wasn’t the first time he had absentmindedly put sewing supplies in his pocket, bringing them with him unintentionally. He noticed that he was already back to being “Kanji-kun” and sighed, handing Naoto the needle and thread.

“Help me get him to that bench over there, Teddie.” 

Once Kanji was on the bench, Teddie went back to the rest of the group. Naoto threaded the needle and tried, with shaking hands, to knot the thread. “Hey. Let me see it,” Kanji said softly. He knotted it perfectly with ease and handed it back to her.

“This is going to hurt, Kanji-kun. I’m sorry,” she said.

“S’ok. I can take it.”

Naoto slowly began making careful stitches in the gash in his side. It took some time, and she could tell he was in pain (although he didn’t say a word), but she got the job done. “Ok. I think that will suffice for now. Rest for a moment, I’ll be right back.”

She approached the group, heading straight for Seta. “What on earth were you idiots thinking, going in there without the rest of us?!” 

“Naoto? W-Why are you so upset?” asked Souji.

“Senpai! You didn’t have enough backup, and you had hardly any support! You expected Teddie to handle battle support and healing duties and also to fight? This is the most ridiculous decision I have ever seen you make! You nearly got Kanji-kun killed!” 

Souji looked at her, shock and shame meeting on his face. “Y-You’re right, Naoto. I should have given it more thought before going in without the rest of the team. How is Kanji? All stitched up?”

“For now. I don’t think it will be enough. His wound looks serious. It would likely be best to take him to a hospital,” she said, trying to control her voice. She couldn’t believe she’d blown up at senpai like that. 

“No hospitals,” Souji said calmly. “We’ll figure something else out if we need to. In the meantime, we need to regroup and head back into the TV. Can I count on you to be on the front line this time, Naoto?”

“No… I-I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. Someone needs to stay with Kanji-kun and monitor his condition. We can take him to my apartment, and I will stay with him while the rest of you handle it.” Naoto felt like she should have turned red telling him this, but she didn’t. She was angry and worried and needed to focus on how to make things turn out alright.

Souji and Yosuke helped her carry Kanji up the stairs to her apartment. After a small fight with the door that always stuck, they were in, and she flipped on the light. “Take him to the bedroom. Through that door,” Naoto directed.

“T-The bedroom?” asked Yosuke. 

“Yes, Yosuke-senpai. He needs to rest. That is where the only bed in this apartment is. So please, take him to the bedroom.” It astounded her that Yosuke could be thinking ridiculous things at a time like this. Of course she would give up her bed for a friend in need, and now was not the time to be embarrassed about the fact that three boys were currently in her room, one being placed directly into her own bed. 

“Ok, we should get home. We need to rest and plan so that we can go back into the TV as soon as possible,” Souji said. “Call us if you need anything, Naoto.” Yosuke nodded and followed Souji out of the room.

And then it was just Naoto, standing in her room over the boy whose life was still in danger. She knew it, no matter what the rest of her friends thought. This wasn’t a simple injury, and it was going to be a long night. She let out a shaky sigh, feeling her body finally start to calm a little after having adrenaline coursing through her veins for the last hour. She glanced at Kanji, who had been in and out of consciousness since she stitched him up in the food court. He looked so peaceful when he slept. She didn’t understand why that seemed to unravel her, but it did. It’s just been a hard afternoon, she thought. It doesn’t mean anything. Naoto took a deep breath, and sat down in the chair, prepared for a long and difficult night.


	2. Chapter 2

The first couple of hours were uneventful, yet Naoto was restless. She dozed in between checking Kanji’s wound, but she never relaxed. She couldn’t stop thinking. Not that thinking was unusual for her, but this particular line of thought was one she typically kept out as much as she could. She kept thinking back to when she first met the Investigation Team. It took her months and a dozen comments from other members of the team for Naoto to figure out that Kanji acted so strangely around her because he liked her. The way he turned so red and stuttered like that every time he tried to talk to her made her think that she was somehow offending him. And then, she finally put it together. She smiled to herself. He certainly was cute when he got all flustered and blushed like that. It took a long time for her to admit to herself that she liked having him near her. After Souji moved away in the spring, a lot of things changed for the team. The rest of their senpai became third years, and spent most of their free time studying for their college entrance exams. And Rise-san had resumed her career as an idol. She was frequently away. This left just Naoto and Kanji, and she had found herself making more and more excuses to spend time with him without owning up to the real reasons why. They spent quiet lunches together on the roof, her sitting on the wall, Kanji sitting on the ground beside her. It amazed her how comfortable sitting together in silence could be. After school, if he didn’t need to help his mother at the textile shop, she insisted on helping him study at the library. They walked partway home together each day, and she was astounded at how safe she felt when he was with her.

Kanji stirred in his sleep, and Naoto went to check his injury again. He was mumbling in his sleep, and when she touched his skin to pull back the bandages, she jumped, startled to find that his flesh was burning hot. She touched his forehead, and he mumbled again. Not asleep, delirious with fever. Whatever he was trying to say made no sense. Something about... cute things? “N-Naoto…” He choked out, his eyes slightly open. 

“Shh.. Kanji-kun. You need to rest. Go back to sleep.” He closed his eyes and drifted off again.

Naoto spent the next few hours applying wet washcloths to Kanji’s forehead, sick with worry. It was clear that he had some sort of infection that was not going to just go away. In the early morning, her cell phone rang.

“Yo, Naoto. Just wanted to check in and see how Kanji’s doing. Everything ok?” asked Yosuke. 

“No, Yosuke-senpai, he is not ok. He’s been burning up with fever for hours now. I don’t think we can fix this without some kind of medicine. I was thinking about it, and… perhaps Souji-senpai could ask his “friends”... the ones in that blue room…” she trailed off. 

“Hmm, that’s a good idea. Ok, Naoto, I’ll talk to Souji and get back to you.”

“Thanks, senpai,” she said, feeling slightly relieved. She didn’t think he would listen to her that easily.

There was nothing more that she could do, so Naoto just kept doing what she had been. Checking his wound, trying to cool him off, and thinking way too much. She was watching this boy that she cared for get sicker and sicker, and she was becoming more and more worried that keeping her feelings from him had been a terrible mistake. What if she never got a chance to tell him? No. She couldn’t think like that. She wouldn’t. She had pulled her chair much closer to the bed and had just realized she was holding his hand in hers. Startled, she set it back down.

“Nao… D-Don’t. D-Don’t go…” Talking in his sleep again. About… her? Was he aware that she’d been holding onto him? No, that wasn’t likely. 

“It’s alright, Kanji-kun,” she said softly. “I’m not going anywhere.” He seemed to already be unconscious again, but she felt the need to say it… while she could. 

In the afternoon there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Souji Seta looking somewhat put out, like being there was taking up valuable time. Naoto felt instantly annoyed by the look on his face, but said nothing.

“Here,” he said, holding out a vial of blue liquid. “It’s medicine. From Margaret. The woman in the Velvet Room. It should work”. 

She nodded. “Thank you, senpai.” Naoto felt a little bit bad for feeling so annoyed with him. He did after all come through for Kanji.

“I have to get back,” said Souji. “We’re going back into the TV tonight. I have preparations to make. Call Yosuke if you need anything else, he’ll be at the entrance to the dungeon looking out for Rise.” She nodded again. 

“Get some rest, Naoto. You look like you haven’t slept since things went down.” He turned on his heel and walked away. She supposed that she hadn’t really. Not for more than a few minutes at a time. Maybe that accounted for how emotional she felt. She would try to rest once she gave Kanji the medicine. Naoto shut the door and returned to the bedroom with the vial. It took some doing, but she managed to get Kanji awake enough to help him swallow the strange, blue liquid. Once he was settled down and asleep again, she attempted to curl up in the chair and drift off a little.

But sleep didn’t come. An hour passed, and his condition was no better. What if it didn’t work? What if it was simply too late? She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. She wouldn’t want to lose any of her friends, but Kanji was different. He was special. He was… hers. In a way. He just didn’t know it, because she had been too stupid to tell him. Stupid was not typically a word Naoto used to describe herself, but that’s exactly what she thought at the moment. She was going to lose him before she had ever gotten the nerve to let him know that he was what she wanted. She felt like a complete fool for letting her self-consciousness and lack of social skills keep her from this. 

This line of thought continued on and off for hours. She only was able to doze for brief periods of time, too concerned for Kanji and too upset with herself to rest. Around midnight, she touched his face and sighed with relief. His fever had finally broken. She changed his bandages again, wondering if he was really out of the woods, or of this meant nothing at all. Naoto climbed into the bed beside him, watching him sleep, wishing for things to be alright. 

Hours passed. She slept a little, and he didn’t wake. Naoto couldn’t take this. She touched his cheek gently, breathing in his scent, resting her head on his shoulder. Would they never get a chance to be together? Was she going to lose him? She sobbed quietly and shut her eyes, staying like that for a long time, drifting in and out of sleep while she cried for the boy she loved.


	3. Chapter 3

Kanji was dreaming. Naoto, always of Naoto. It never changed. The content did, but it was always her, like it was right now. This was a good one. She was touching his face, curled into his shoulder, and she smelled amazing. He rarely ever had a chance to get close enough to smell her, but evidently when he had, her scent was burned into his memory. She smelled like sunsets and strawberries. He wondered if she knew how much she smelled like a _girl_. He was never going to ask her. She worked so hard to make herself appear as a boy so the police would take her seriously as a detective. Telling her how _girl_ she smelled would make her angry. 

He felt a little cold, and he _hurt_. What was that about? He was only warm on the arm she was laying on, her head on his shoulder. Why did his chest feel wet? This really was a weird dream. And what was that… was someone sobbing? Was… Was Naoto crying? Why would he dream _that_? Naoto didn’t let people see her cry very often. Not at all really. Kanji had seen it once, and it was something they didn’t talk about, because she would be angry. He guessed she was embarrassed, because she thought it would make her look weak. Ridiculous. But she would think so, so he had never said a word about it. 

The sobbing got louder, and Kanji’s eyes fluttered open. And then he wasn’t dreaming. She was real. And she was touching his face, with her head on his shoulder. And she was crying. He had no shirt on… what on earth was that about? And where were they? He glanced around. Detective novels on the bookshelf, her cap sitting on the desk… were they in Naoto’s _bedroom_? Maybe he was dreaming after all.

“N-Naoto..” he said softly, and her eyes snapped open.

Naoto’s entire face lit up into the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face. “Kanji!” she exclaimed happily, and threw her arms around him.

“H-Hey. What’s going on?” he asked, while gently putting his arm around her back. If she was going to hold him, surely she wouldn’t get angry if he held her back a little. Right?

“I-I thought… I didn’t know what to do. You.. You were hurt in the TV world. You… almost died, Kanji.” She pointed to the bandage on his side. He looked at it curiously.

“Why didn’t Ted heal me?” he asked quietly. 

“He did,” she said. “And then Yukiko-senpai tried later as well. It didn’t work. I-I stitched the wound closed with the thread you had in your coat pocket, and I-I brought you here.” This part seemed familiar. 

“I remember the thread. We were at Junes, then.”

“Right,” she nodded. “Then we brought you here. To.. To m-my apartment.” She was still having trouble getting her words out, even though the sobbing had stopped. “You were running a high fever that night, and all of yesterday as well-”

“Wait. Yesterday? I’ve been out of it for the better part of two days?" He asked in disbelief. 

“Yes. Yesterday afternoon, senpai brought over some medicine. From those people in the blue room. I-I thought that it wasn’t going to work. You were worse.” She was having a hard time meeting his eyes. “I thought you were going to die.” Naoto looked up then, her eyes burning into his. “I thought you were going to die before I had to chance to tell you… that I… well, that I like you.”

A completely shocked Kanji had no other thoughts besides _this is my only chance and I can’t not take it_ before pulling her to him and kissing her desperately on the lips. 

“I-I like you, too, Naoto,” he said softly. He felt his face turning red, and cast his eyes away from her.

She laughed gently. “You look adorable.” That made him turn an even darker shade of crimson. Still smiling, she kissed him on the cheek. That part was worth it at least.

“Kanji-kun… you’ve liked me for a long time, haven't you?” she asked quietly, looking down. 

“Y-Yeah,” he admitted. Her eyes snapped back to his.

“Then why didn't you kiss me before now?”

“H-Huh? Oh, umm. I guess, I-I didn't know if you wanted me to.”

“Y-You have my permission!” she said quickly, taking his hand and placing it on her hip. He kissed her again, very deeply. He only stopped when his side began to throb painfully.

“Ahh… We need to remember that you're still healing. You need more rest,” she realized, and checked his bandages. Wow… it looked really bad. Worse than he thought it would.

“Say, Naoto… where does Ma think I've been for the past two nights?”

“Your mother believes that you were with Yosuke-senpai and Teddie the first night, then stayed with Souji-senpai the second,” she said, frowning. “I’m not sure what we should tell her tonight.”

“I should probably go home for awhile and see her,” he said guiltily. 

“That’s probably wise,” Naoto nodded. “You can grab some clean clothes, and it will make her feel better to see you with her own eyes. She’ll be less…. suspicious about why you haven’t been sleeping at home all weekend.”

Kanji shuddered. His ma was way too intuitive. She would know something was up. And if she found out he had spent the past two nights in a girl’s bed, she was going to kill him.


	4. Chapter 4

Kanji and Naoto made the long trek from her apartment to his house. It normally didn't seem like that long of a walk, but he tired out easily due to being injured. Luckily they had thought to show up while the textile shop was still open. Ma would be busy with the store, so there would be less questions. They walked around to the side door, slipping in through the living room unseen. “I'm home, Ma!” he yelled towards the shop. “Naoto’s here, too.”

“Kanji-chan? Where on earth have you been?” She popped her head through the doors into the living room. “And Naoto-chan, too, how are you dear?”

“I'm well, Tatsumi-san. Thank you for asking. How is business today?” Naoto distracted her with pleasantries while Kanji snuck up the stairs to change. 

“Business is just fine, dear. What are you kids doing?” So much for distractions.

“Oh, Kanji-kun wanted to change, and then we’re heading to the Samegawa for awhile before meeting up with everyone,” Naoto said, trying to keep things vague. 

Kanji came down the stairs then, in a white t-shirt that was clearly a mistake from the look on his mother’s face. “Kanji-chan? What is that all over your shirt? Is that… blood?” his mother asked.

“Oh, crap. Yeah, it’s nothing, Ma, let me grab a different shirt. No big deal.” He ran back up again. 

“Naoto-chan? Is everything alright?” she asked.

“Yes, Tatsumi-san. Kanji-kun cut himself last night, u-uh, making dinner at senpai’s house. I-I think I’ll go and help him, I’m the one who bandaged it in the first place.” Naoto darted up the stairs. If she wasn’t already, Tatsumi-san would be suspicious now. _Nice going, Shirogane. Way to be subtle._

She found Kanji in the bathroom, using the stained shirt to stop the bleeding. He turned and saw her in the doorway. “H-Hey. Sorry. I guess I overdid it a little.”

Naoto nodded. “Let me help you change the bandages.” She worked quickly, a pro at this after two days of caring for his wound. “I think your mother suspects that we’re up to something.”

“It’s cool. Let’s go before she asks any more questions.” He could avoid them for now, but when he came back she would be all over him. They headed back down the stairs together, Naoto walking straight to the side door. “See, you later, Ma,” Kanji called out. “I’ll probably crash at senpai’s house again.” His mother popped her head through the door again, looking concerned. 

“Again? You really shouldn’t wear out your welcome, dear,” she said with a frown.

“It’s no big deal, see you later,” he choked out, pushing Naoto through the side door and out into the yard.

Once they were in the street and away from the textile shop, Naoto turned around, walking backwards and smiling. “You are so busted when you finally go home,” she teased. “It’s a good thing you wear that necklace all the time. It’s a good luck charm, correct?”

Kanji looked down at the bullet he wore on a string around his neck. After a moment’s thought, he pulled it over his head and put it around Naoto’s neck. “I don’t guess I need any luck if you’re with me,” he said, and she smiled at him widely before they continued the walk back to her apartment.

Across the street, a curious Yukiko smiled to herself. _I wonder what all that was about. Don’t worry guys, I won’t tell the others. For now._


	5. Chapter 5

After a couple more days of staying at Naoto’s place, Kanji ran out of excuses and had to start sleeping at home again. They missed each other, talking on the phone well past midnight each night. They were still on a break from school, meaning senpai was still visiting, and the others were still fighting through the new area of the TV world they had found. Naoto had refused to go and help, insisting that if she did, Kanji would insist on going with her, and he was still healing. Kanji had spoken to senpai on the phone a couple of times, and he seemed pretty pissed about it. Wanted him to “talk to Naoto” about it and all. Sometimes he wondered if anyone other than him really got Naoto. Her mind was made up. Talking would just get him one of those scary looks that said _I can’t believe you would question me like that._ Kanji didn’t like those particular looks being thrown in his direction. 

He much preferred the looks she’d been giving him all week. They had spent a considerable amount of time sitting together by the Samegawa and talking. It was a really public place that a lot of their friends and classmates tended to turn up at, so only talking happened there. Most evenings they ended up at the beach, which was always deserted, watching the sunset and stealing kisses until he had to go home. His Ma had stopped asking where he was spending all of his time, likely because she had only seen him with Naoto since those nights he didn’t sleep at home. 

The following week, Kanji was well again. “I think we should probably see what senpai and the others are up to. They might need our help,” he suggested to Naoto. She looked a bit annoyed, but relented. 

“I suppose you’re right. Though I am worried that you will overdo it and end up hurt again,” she admitted.

“It’ll be ok. We’ll be there together, right? Nothing bad will happen,” he reassured her. She nodded.

Naoto called Souji and confirmed that she and Kanji were ready to rejoin the team, and would be at the meeting that afternoon at the food court. They arrived together, not holdings hands, and trying to not to look at each other too much. It felt like it was too soon to tell the rest of them about their relationship. Too much was happening, and Naoto wanted to keep it private for awhile. She wanted to savor it before the relentless teasing from the rest of the group began. 

It seemed that the Investigation Team knew that a person was inside the TV and had created a “world” in there that was full of shadows, but they still didn’t know who the person was or how they got in there. Was someone with the power throwing people into the TV again? Or was the person inside capable of going in him or herself? It was also curious that they had been searching for the person for over a week now and they were still alive and seemingly unharmed. It also had not rained, and the Midnight Channel had not appeared on TV. Today, the team would be going in again, with Naoto and Kanji on the frontline so that some of the others could take it easy. They had been going in nearly every day and could use the rest.

When the meeting began to dissolve, the friends broke into smaller groups. Souji was speaking with Yosuke, who had further questions about the mission, as he would be going in with the main group. Rise and Teddie were discussing support tactics. Chie and Yukiko were chatting and laughing, likely trying to relax before going in. They would be on the secondary team if the main team needed a break. Naoto sat on a table by herself, looking stressed. Kanji appeared in front of her, looking concerned. “You remember what I said earlier, don’t you? It’s going to be ok,” he reminded her.

“I know,” she said, staring into his eyes for a moment before looking down. He reached over his head, pulling off his necklace again and placing it around her neck. She met his eyes again before tucking it under her shirt. _If he's going to keep putting it on me, I'm not giving it back this time._ “Why?” she asked quietly.

“So you won’t forget that we’re in this together,” he whispered. She gave him a small smile before getting off the table. It was time to start heading to the electronics department.

They didn’t realize that none of their interaction went unnoticed. Not only did an already aware Yukiko see the whole thing, but Chie saw it as well. “W-What was that about?! Did you see that, Yukiko? Why did he just give his necklace to Naoto?” 

“U-Um… I think that they’re, well… you know.”

“What? No, I don’t know! What’s going on?” Chie asked excitedly.

“Well… I’ve seen them together before, in the shopping district. And at the Samegawa. A lot. I think that they might be dating,” she replied.

“Seriously?! Oh my god! Do you think anyone else knows?!” Chie exclaimed loudly.

“N-No… let’s let them keep it to themselves for now, Chie, alright? If they wanted us to know they would have told us,” said Yukiko.

“Oh man… alright, if you insist. You always know the right thing to do, Yukiko! So I’ll follow your lead!” Chie said cheerfully with a big smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Naoto had forgotten what the plummet into the TV felt like after months of not having a reason to go in. The way her stomach dropped right before landing with a thud was not a good feeling. And then the unpleasant reminder that she should have gone in last, when three boys landed on top of her before she had a chance to get up. _Ouch. I am such an idiot!_ She shoved them off of her and stood up, moving out of their way so they could untangle themselves from each other. “I haven't been in the TV in a while, and neither has Kanji-kun. I would have thought the two of you would have mastered the landing by now, though.” She rolled her eyes at the other boys. Kanji tried hard not to smile. Souji tried hard not to notice.

“Alright guys,” said Souji. Time to fight some shadows!”

“Whoo hoo!” yelled Yosuke. “I'm all fired up! Souji 's been bringing the girls and Teddie most of the time,” he said with a frown.

They spent a couple of hours exploring and fighting shadows. Except for Souji, they were all a little rusty and out of shape, but they made it through without having to switch teams. “That's enough for today,” Souji decided, and they headed back to the entrance. 

Yosuke pulled Souji off to the side and whispered, “hey, is it just me or were those two acting kind of weird in there?”

“Just you,” Souji replied. “Hey Kanji, come here for a minute,” he shouted across the food court.

“What's up, senpai? You need something?” Kanji inquired.

“I was just thinking, we haven't really had a chance spend any time together since vacation started. Want to come over my house tonight?”

“U-Uh, I actually can't tonight, senpai. I have… plans.”

“Plans?” Souji asked.

“Uh, yeah, plans… you know, stuff. Stuff I gotta do. Can we hang out tomorrow instead?” Kanji tried to sound smooth but he was so nervous that senpai would see through him. And everyone was looking at him.

“Sure, Kanji. How about you, Naoto? Are you free tonight?” he asked. Naoto looked alarmed.

“Actually, senpai, I'm busy as well. I-I have some… work to catch up on,” she said quickly. _Nice, Shirogane, very convincing._

Yukiko suddenly piped in. “I’m free tomorrow as well. Maybe we should all get together and do something fun, take a break from the TV for a day. We could all meet at Souji’s house, if that’s ok?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah, I would love to see Nanako-chan, it’s been so long since I last saw her!” added Chie.

“N-Nana-chan!? Teddie wants to see Nana-chan, too! Can we please come over tomorrow, sensei? I promise to be a good bear!” exclaimed Teddie.

Souji laughed. “Ok, guys. Let’s get together… after dinner… we can have a movie night. Sound ok?”

Yosuke sighed with relief. “After dinner sounds perfect. I can’t handle any Mystery Food X right now.” Chie punched him in the arm.

“Hey!” she said. “You still don’t know how to cook, either, so just shut it!”

Naoto hadn’t failed to notice the way Yukiko was looking at her. It was clear that she had figured some things out. Naoto gave her a small nod of thanks, just between them. Although, the way Souji-senpai had been behaving, she was pretty sure he was already putting two and two together as well. 

When everyone started to head in different directions, she wandered towards the shopping district and waited for Kanji to catch up with her. It didn’t take very long with legs as long as his. 

“Where do you want to go tonight? The beach?” he asked. It had been a tiring afternoon, and Naoto was sick of worrying about who would get hurt, as well as who knew what about their relationship. 

“If it’s alright with you, I think we should go back to my apartment for awhile. Being around our own friends is exhausting,” she complained. He laughed softly.  
“Sounds good,” he said. It had been awhile since they had spent time alone in her apartment. Kanji wasn’t sure if he should be nervous or excited. A little of both, maybe.

They walked mostly in silence. When they made it to her door, they exchanged a heavy look. She turned the key, pushed on the door, then kicked it because it was stuck yet again. It was at least predictable. Much more predictable than Kanji seemed to be at the moment. She was having a really hard time reading his thoughts. I wonder if he’s feeling the same way about me. They walked in, and she turned towards him after she heard the door shut behind him. He was still looking at her that same way. He said nothing, he just put his hands gently around her waist and kissed her in a way that felt both soft and strong. 

“Today was really hard,” he said quietly, still holding onto her. “I was afraid that if I took my eyes off of you for a second, something would happen to you. And I was afraid that if I kept looking at you, everyone would know exactly what I was thinking.” 

Naoto swallowed, noting that a lump had formed in her throat. “It was pretty much the same for me. I caught Yosuke-senpai looking at me rather funny a few times. But I couldn’t stop myself from looking your way.”

He smiled and kissed her again. “I’m glad you wanted to come here. It’s nice to just be together without having to think about it.”

“I don’t think our relationship will be a secret for much longer… It was clear to me that Yukiko-senpai already knows, and I think Souji-senpai is only seconds away from figuring it out,” she said.

“Is that so? Well. I don’t think I’ll mind not hiding at all. Although I do like getting to be alone with you like this.” He ran his fingers through her short, blue hair, making her shiver. She couldn’t help but send her fingers up the back of his shirt, trailing softly over his skin while he kissed her neck. How on earth did they stay away from each other for so long? Even a minute apart felt like too long now. They moved to the couch and sat, lips still locked, his hands beneath the front of her shirt, stroking the soft skin on her stomach. She wrapped her hands around his neck tightly, pulling him down on top of her.

And that was when they heard a knock at the door.


	7. Chapter 7

They jumped apart when they heard the knock, trying to straighten their ruffled clothes and hair. Naoto went to the door, wondering if her lips looked as swollen as they felt. Her face flushed. There was another knock before she finally pulled the door open. Souji Seta was leaning on the doorframe patiently. 

“Senpai?” she asked. 

“Hey Naoto… took you long enough to answer,” he said with a smirk. He nodded to Kanji who was standing a ways back, hands in his pockets. “I had a feeling you’d both be here,” he said. Kanji blushed furiously.

“I-Is there something you needed, senpai?” Naoto asked.

Souji smiled. “Nope! I pretty much just wanted to see if my suspicions were right. I thought something was up with you two, and then Yukiko bailed you out at the food court, and I was… curious. I had to solve the mystery! Umm.. so, mystery solved I guess. Why didn’t you guys say anything?”

Kanji just shrugged. Naoto said, “I-It.. it hasn’t been very long. I guess we just weren’t ready to share yet.”

“You mean you weren’t ready for the Yosuke/Rise/Teddie harassment that’s sure to happen as soon as they figure it out?” He smiled again.

“Pretty much,” she sighed. 

“Are you going to tell them, senpai?” asked Kanji. He didn’t really care if everyone knew. He sort of wanted them to. Then he could hold Naoto’s hand no matter where they were. The teasing would be sort of annoying at first, but whatever. _Worth it._

“I’m not going to,” he said. “But I think you guys should. Tomorrow. During movie night.”

Naoto gulped. She was no longer looking forward to movie night.

“Well, I need to get home. I’ll let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing…” He smirked again and walked away.

Naoto shut the door and turned towards Kanji. She looked completely flustered. He laughed softly. “W-What? Why are you laughing?” she asked. 

He moved in close and put his arms around her waist again. “You look so cute,” he said softly.

She got even more flustered. “T-There is nothing cute about me! A-At all!” She pushed his face away from her as he laughed again. _Everything about you is cute, Naoto. Everything._

“So… should we get back to whatever it was we were doing?” he asked, and crushed his lips to hers.

_I give up_ , she thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Kanji spent the next morning helping his mother at the shop. Naoto spent the next morning freaking out. What were their friends going to think of their relationship? Yukiko and Souji seemed fine with it, but how would everyone else react? The way they felt about each other had already impacted their behavior in the TV world. Would their friends be against them being together? She didn’t know what to expect, other than Yosuke and Teddie making lewd remarks, and Rise trying to force details out of her that she didn’t care to share with anyone. To say she was nervous about tonight was an understatement.

She and Kanji had decided to just show up together like they were on a date and play it cool like it was no big deal. Naoto hoped that would make it less of a spectacle, but knowing their friends, it probably wasn’t going to help. Because she was thinking of it as a date, and the first actual date outside of her apartment they had where they were planning to hold hands in front of other people, she had another concern. She should be dressing for a date, shouldn’t she? She had been considering altering her look to be a touch more feminine for awhile now, especially since she had started seeing Kanji. He might like it if she showed up tonight looking a little more like his _girlfriend_. Oh god, was she his _girlfriend_? Would he want to call her that, or not yet? Naoto didn’t usually mind being alone with her thoughts, but today it was making her completely crazy. 

She finally settled on black skinny jeans, a more fitted blouse than her typical shirts, her favorite tie, and her tallest platform boots. Naoto was already sensitive about her height, but she figured if she was going to have a freakishly tall boyfriend, she needed to do something to make up the difference. _Boyfriend_. Just before she headed out the door, she hesitated, then grabbed her cap, pulling it down over her eyes. She was going to need a little protection from the embarrassment she was about to face.

She walked to the shopping district. She had agreed to meet Kanji at the shop and go to senpai’s house together from there. Naoto opened the door to Tatsumi Textiles and found only Kanji’s mother behind the counter. “Good evening, Tatsumi-san,” she greeted politely. 

“Naoto-chan! Oh, my, you look just lovely!” she exclaimed. 

“T-Thank you,” she said softly, already feeling a little bit pink. Kanji chose that moment to walk through the door from the living room, and froze as soon as he saw her. She looked soft, curvy, and pink in the cheeks. _She’s going to be the death of me._

“H-Hey, Naoto. Y-You look… really nice,” he choked out. This was not what he was expecting. She looked amazing! _I’m the luckiest guy ever!_

“I-I…” she stammered, blushing deeper now.

“U-Uh.. are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Y-Yes!” she exclaimed. _You’re making a total fool of yourself, Shirogane!_

They said goodbye to Kanji’s mother and headed back out into the street. He glanced down at her. “W-What?” she asked.

“Really… _really_ nice,” he said, smiling. She turned red again.

“Oh, stop! I-I.. thought you might like it,” she mumbled quietly. He smiled wider. She took a deep breath and smiled back. 

The walk seemed shorter than it should have. Before they knew it, they were at senpai’s door. Kanji took her hand, Naoto took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door.


	9. Chapter 9

The door flew open immediately, with an overly excited Teddie shouting at them happily. “Nao-chan, Kanji-chan, you’re here!!!” Everyone started to pile up behind him to greet them, and that’s exactly when he noticed their joined hands. “Oh my! Are you _finally_ scoring with each other?!” Yukiko slapped him upside the head.

“I said, _stop saying that_!” she shouted.

“Ah, oh my god, you guys are _soooooo_ cute!” exclaimed Rise. “I want to know every detail!” Her mischievous grin told Naoto she was in real trouble if Rise ever got her alone. 

Yosuke smiled and raised his fist to bump Kanji’s. “Nice,” he said. 

“You guys, leave them alone and let them come inside!” whined Chie. “It’s time to get settled in for the movie!” Naoto silently thanked her. 

When they finally got in past their crowd of ridiculous friends, they made it to the living room where Souji was sitting with his young cousin Nanako.

“Welcome to our home!” Nanako said brightly. “Are you guys dating?!” she asked curiously.

“Yes,” Naoto nodded. “It’s so good to see you, Nanako-chan.” She spoke warmly to the girl. She never minded when Nanako asked questions, even when they were questions that tended to annoy her from her other friends.

“Does that mean you guys get to be all lovey dovey and kiss each other?” she asked.

“W-What?!” choked Kanji. He turned red, looked away, then looked back at sweet little Nanako. “U-Uh, yeah.” He figured being honest with her was best. 

“That’s so cool!” she exclaimed. “Oh hey, do you want to see the new doll I got? I think you’ll _both_ like her. She’s a plush doll _and_ a detective!” Nanako was excited to share with them. Their eyes met over her head, and they smiled at each other. Maybe telling everyone wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Still, Naoto wasn’t going near the kitchen where the other girls were at the moment. 

After a while, everyone gathered in the living room to watch the movie. She was grateful that everyone else seemed to want to sit by Souji and Nanako. Naoto sat a ways behind them, leaning back against Kanji. It was quite peaceful, except for the occasional look Rise turned around to throw at her. The look that said _you're going to tell me everything the second I get you alone._

After a while it dawned on Naoto that there was another tension in the room, much closer to her. She had been preoccupied with everyone else, and then she finally realized that she was sitting in the dark next to Kanji. She felt him cover her hand with his. When she looked back at him, there was something new in his eyes. Longing? That's what it felt like to Naoto. It would seem that movie night wouldn't end soon enough for the both of them. 

Two horribly boring kung fu movies later, and everyone else was ready to go home. Kanji and Naoto stayed behind to help clean up, mostly to avoid Rise on the walk home. Then they headed out so senpai could put Nanako to bed. It was a late night for a 7 year old.

“Well, that was interesting,” Kanji said softly when they were outside. That look of longing was back in his eyes.

“Indeed,” she replied. “Do you… want to come back to my apartment for awhile?”

For once he held onto her gaze, not even tempted to look away, and not even close to blushing. “Yes,” he said. “I would like that.”

He was quiet when they went inside, they both were. He kissed her slowly, but strongly, expressing all of that longing through his lips. 

“Stay,” Naoto said. “Please just stay.”

“Yes,” he answered softly.


	10. Chapter 10

Kanji was dreaming again. He felt tired and sore, but good. The way he felt after a good workout, or a couple of long hours of fighting shadows. He also felt very warm, and it smelled really good… sunsets and strawberries again. 

His eyes snapped open. _Oh. Ohhhhhh._ That was why he felt so nice. He let out a contented sigh. His Ma was going to kill him when he got home. _Completely worth it._ Naoto stirred in his arms, then opened her eyes. “Good morning,” she smiled softly. She didn’t seem surprised at all. He needed to get a grip. It was unrealistic to always think he was dreaming when he was with her. They were together now. _Girlfriend. She’s my girlfriend._

She was stroking his cheek softly, like she had no interest in moving anytime soon, but she said “you should go home. Your mother will be worried.” 

“I know,” he said, also not interested in moving. He kissed her softly, then sighed and gave in. _Time to suck it up and go home._

Kanji spent the walk home filled with conflicting thoughts. Half of them were about Naoto and how happy he was. The other half were about how Ma was going to react when he got there. He would much rather keep thinking about Naoto. When he got home, he tried to quietly sneak in the side door. He almost made it to the stairs when Ma called out from the kitchen. “Kanji-chan? Is that you?” she asked.

“Y-Yeah, Ma,” he called back. She appeared in the doorway, looking at him curiously.

“You’re not hurt…?” she inquired cautiously.

“N-No… I’m fine.”

“I see,” she said with a frown, heading back into the kitchen. Kanji stood there for a moment, surprised at the lack of interrogation. Then he skulked up the stairs. He shut his door behind him, and flopped onto the bed. His phone vibrated.

 

_EVERYTHING OK Y/N?_

_Yeah, seems like it. She didn’t really say anything._

_I MISS YOU_

_I miss you too, Naoto._

 

She didn’t reply after that. That was ok. He knew she hated texting. He’d call her later, after he was sure the storm had passed at home. He closed his eyes, thinking about what her face looked like this morning when she first opened her eyes and looked at him. He wished he could bottle the way it made him feel.

“Kanji-chan? Come down and have some tea,” his Ma called up to him. He sighed and opened his eyes. _Guess we’re gonna talk about this after all._ He reluctantly went down to the kitchen. Ma was sitting at the table, two cups of tea in front of her. He sat across from her and took his cup. He couldn’t quite meet her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, Ma…” he said. “I-I should have called last night, y-you were probably worried.”

“I was,” she said simply. “You were at “Naoto-chan’s?” she asked quietly.

“Y-Yeah,” he answered. She nodded.

“Drink your tea before it gets cold, dear.” Wait, that was it? She wasn’t going to lecture him? He nodded and brought the cup to his lips.

“Next time, please call and let me know you won’t be coming home,” she said very softly. He lowered his eyes to the table and blushed.

“Y-Yes, Ma,” he mumbled quietly. He felt like a first grader being scolded for not doing his homework. And then that was it. She started talking about how sales had been in the shop this week, and asked if he would have time to go get some materials for her in Okina this weekend. She didn’t say another word about him and Naoto. 

Naoto figured she would be having an easier day than Kanji, since she had no guardians to answer to in Inaba. She took a long shower and drank a cup of coffee, thinking about Kanji and how happy she was. _I never thought I would feel this way about anyone._ She couldn’t stop smiling. After she sent a couple of texts to make sure he was alright, and let him know she was thinking about him, she decided to walk down to the bookstore. A lazy morning doing things she actually enjoyed felt really nice. She loved looking through the stacks of books. Just the smell of so many books in the same place made her smile. She tried not to think about how close she was to Kanji’s house. There was no way she was going to face his mother today. That was his problem for the moment. She laughed to herself, then turned as she heard the bookstore’s door open. No, Naoto was not going to have an easy day,

“Oh, Naoto-kun!” Rise squealed and bounced to her side. “I’m so happy I ran into you!”

“H-Hello, Rise-san.” Naoto already felt flustered. She had no interest in having the conversation she suspected was about to happen.

_“Soooo?!_ Tell me _everything_!” she exclaimed.

“Everything about what, Rise-san?” Naoto tried to pretend she didn’t know what her friend was talking about.

“About you and Kanji-kun, of course! How did you two get together? Was it romantic when he asked you to be his girlfriend? Are you guys… you know?!”

That was a lot of questions. “W-We… it just s-sort of happened. A-And he hasn’t asked me. To be his _girlfriend_. W-Was he supposed to?” she wondered out loud.

“Oh, not necessarily, I mean, it doesn’t have to be that formal, you know? And you haven’t answered my last question yet!” she said with a ridiculous grin.

“W-What?! T-That’s none of your business, Rise-san!” she exclaimed, blushing bright red and feeling completely flustered.

“Oooohhh, I’m going to take that as a _yes_ then!” she squealed with a wink. 

“ _R-Rise-san_!” she said, shocked.

“Oh, Naoto-kun, lighten up, I’m just teasing you,” she said playfully. “Anyway, I’m really happy for you guys. You make a really cute couple.”

“T-Thank you.” Naoto had no idea what else to say.

“Well, I’ve gotta run! Don’t worry Naoto-kun, I’ll be sure to tell the others _all_ the details for you. That way you won’t have to have this conversation again!” She flashed a wicked smile and headed out of the store.

“W-Wait! Rise-san!” But she was already gone. Naoto sighed. She loved her friends. And sometimes, she really hated them. 

Her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and her eyes lit up when she saw who was calling.

“Kanji,” she said warmly.

“Hey, Naoto,” he said, a smile in his voice.

“Did everything go alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Where are you right now? I want to see you,” he said.

“I’m at the bookstore,” she answered, smiling again. _He wants to see me._

“Meet me at the shrine?” He was reluctant to ask her to come to the shop. Ma would be there, and he didn’t want Naoto to feel uncomfortable. Another time, he would invite her over. For now, he just wanted to get away from there, and be with her.

“I’ll be right there,” she answered.


	11. Chapter 11

Since the shrine was conveniently located right next to his home, Kanji beat her there despite how close she was. She found him waiting under the trees. Neither of them could stop smiling when they saw each other, and they wrapped each other up in a tight embrace. They paid their respects at the shrine, then returned to the trees, sitting and talking about their awkward mornings and how much they had missed each other. After about an hour, both of their phones vibrated. Senpai had sent a message to the entire team.

 

_Hey guys, let’s meet at Junes. 3:00. See you all then. ___

__

__They were the last to arrive. It seemed like everyone else was on edge. Was something going on? Something no one had told them yet? This made Naoto nervous. She sat down and turned to Rise. “Rise-san, do you know what is going on?”_ _

__“Nope.” Rise’s smile almost looked more like a frown._ _

__“Let’s start, guys,” Souji said, all of their attention snapping to him at once. “Teddie went into the TV this morning to check on things, and that vague area we’ve been fighting in has started to take a more distinct form.”_ _

__Teddie nodded. “It’s the shopping district!” he exclaimed. Souji continued._ _

__“Since two on our team live in the shopping district, we have some concerns…” Everyone’s eyes moved from Rise to Kanji and back. They looked at each other, surprised. Kanji looked down and cleared his throat._ _

__“It’s not like either of our own places in the TV looked anything like the shopping district. So it’s not likely us, right?”_ _

__“And we can use our personas!” Rise exclaimed. “So our shadows can’t have gone berserk again!” Her smile was reassuring, but her voice had a slightly hysterical edge to it._ _

__“That’s true. Although Saki-senpai’s portal in the TV did look like the shopping district,” Yosuke mentioned. He immediately got a dark look, and became very quiet. “B-But, she died, so… definitely not her…” Chie patted his shoulder._ _

__“We’ll figure it out, you guys,” said Chie with confidence. “A-And… it’s supposed to rain tonight, so…”_ _

__“Right,” Yukiko chimed in. “We’ll need to watch the Midnight Channel tonight.” The team agreed to rest up and tune in to the Midnight Channel tonight, with plans to go in and explore the new area tomorrow. Everyone started to drift into smaller groups. Naoto was discussing theories with Souji and Yosuke. Kanji stayed behind at the table with Rise._ _

__“Everything ok?” he asked. “You look worried.” She looked up at him, surprised._ _

__“You’re awfully observant today, Moranji,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. He shrugged._ _

__“I know it’s not me, and you know it’s not you, right?” he asked. She nodded. “Then that’s all we need to know. Isn’t us.”_ _

__“You and I… and Naoto-kun, too… Our parts of the TV were more brutal than everyone else’s,” she said slowly. “I don’t know how any of us would handle going through that again. I just...can’t…” she drifted off. Kanji nodded. He understood. Souji never even had a shadow. Yosuke and Chie’s were no big deal. They came out in other people’s “realms” and it was all over really quickly for them. Yukiko’s was a princess who wanted someone to save her and take her away from her problems. She was embarrassed about it, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal. Kind of sweet if you thought about it… The rest of them, though… Kanji winced just thinking about it. His still bothered him even though he understood it and accepted it now. And he’d also been there to see Rise’s and Naoto’s. Let’s just say, the three of them had a lot more… issues than the others seemed to have._ _

__“Look, Rise, I’d rather not have to deal with that crap again, but if any of us did, it would be different now. None of us are in this alone. We have have each other and our senpai. We would get through it. So don’t go panicking over nothing. It’s not even going to be one of us.”_ _

__“I guess you have a point. We’re not alone, anymore.” She suddenly broke into a wicked grin. “Especially you and Naoto-kun!”_ _

__Kanji frowned at her deeply. “Shut it,” he said._ _

__Rise shut it. “Neither of you are any fun, you know.”_ _

__“I know,” he said. Their friends started to head home. Rise and Kanji walked Naoto back to her apartment, then headed back to the shopping district together. Once Rise was back at her grandma’s shop, Kanji decided to go grab a beef bowl at Aiya. He ran into Naoki Konishi out front. They had been friends when they were kids, and had just recently started to talk a little again at school._ _

__“Sup, Naoki,” he said._ _

__“Hey, Kanji. Beef bowl?” he asked._ _

__“Yup. You too? Want to eat together?”_ _

__“Sure,” Naoki said, and they went inside, sitting at the bar. They ordered two beef bowls and began to chat. “So how has your vacation been? I heard you were dating Shirogane.” Wait… people at school already knew?_ _

__“W-Wha- Ahh, yeah. Yeah, I am,” he said, taken by surprise. _Word travels fast around here_. “Where’d you hear?” he asked._ _

__Naoki shrugged. “That’s pretty cool though, right? I mean, you guys have always liked each other.” Kanji hoped his face hadn’t just turned red. Probably did._ _

__“How about you, Naoki? Have you had a nice break?” Kanji figured that moving the subject off of himself was the best way to avoid looking like a tomato for the whole meal._ _

__“N-No… not really. Just sort of been boring, I guess. And my parents are super annoying. Sick of it all, you know?” Naoki looked sad. Last year, his sister Saki was one of the victims in the serial murder case the Investigation Team had solved. Life at the Konishi house had to be rough. They lived above the liquor store that the family owned, so there was no real getting away for Naoki. Like Kanji spent most of his free time helping his Ma at the shop, Naoki spent his time helping at Konishi Liquors._ _

__“Hey, you know, you should come hang out with us some time, me and Naoto and the rest of ‘em, like Souji-senpai and all. Don’t know about you, but it feels good when I get out of the shop for awhile,” he said, an eyebrow raised. Naoki looked surprised, then smiled._ _

__“Yeah. Totally. That would be cool.”_ _

__“Good, I’ll text you and we’ll all hang out soon.” They finished their beef bowls and headed home. Kanji felt foolish for not thinking of it sooner. Kid had to be lonely. He had been, too, before he found everyone. He was sure they would be fine with Naoki coming along on an outing. Now he just needed to think of one._ _

__He arrived home, greeted his Ma and then went up to his room, flopping on the bed again. Long day. His phone buzzed._ _

__

___CAN I CALL YOU Y/N?__ _

___Yeah, of course. Everything ok?_ _ _

___OK. MISS U LIKE CRAZY_ _ _

__

__Kanji smiled. He really liked this having a girlfriend thing._ _


	12. Chapter 12

It started raining around eleven that night. Kanji had been on the phone with Naoto since nine. He wanted to see her, but he figured he’d pushed Ma enough for one day. So they just kept talking, telling each other stories and secrets, and listening to each other breathe when the conversation lulled. When it got close to midnight, Kanji slipped down to the living room to wait by the TV. They stayed on the phone, both getting quiet just before midnight, anxious about what would happen. It was as they feared. Both of their turned off TV’s came on. This hadn’t happened since last year, before they had caught the culprit. How could it be happening again?

The bad part is that a person appeared. Like the times this had happened in the past, it was too fuzzy to really make out their features. The worst part was, Kanji knew exactly who it was. The same person that had been on his mind since earlier this evening. Naoki. 

“How could this be happening?” Naoto exclaimed. “And who could it be?”

“I-It’s… it’s Naoki. Naoki Konishi, “ he answered. Naoto gasped. He had told her about their conversation at dinner, especially about how sad and lonely Naoki was. It made sense.

“We should hang up so you can call senpai,” Naoto said. 

“K,” Kanji replied, still a little stunned. “Talk to you in the morning?”

“Yes,” she said. “Without a doubt.” They hung up, and he dialed Souji’s number.

“Senpai, you saw it, yeah?”

“I did. Too blurry to make it out, though” replied Souji.

“I know who it is, Senpai, it’s Naoki!” Kanji exclaimed. He explained what they had talked about at Aiya, and the overwhelming sense he had gotten that Naoki was extremely down and feeling alone.

“Makes sense. I spent some time with him last year during the case, but I didn't exactly keep in touch. Should have,” Souji said, sounding annoyed with himself. “Let's meet at headquarters in the morning, I'll text the others. They hung up. Kanji tried and failed at sleep. He sent Naoto a text.

 

_Still up?_

_YES. PLS CALL._

 

She answered on the first ring. They stayed on the phone until Naoto finally fell asleep. Kanji listened to her breathing for a long time before he finally joined her, without breaking the connection.


	13. Chapter 13

The Investigation Team gathered early the next morning at the food court. There was much to discuss about what they had seen last night and what it meant. Kanji offered up his information about Naoki, and the team agreed that it was likely him. 

“There are still unanswered questions,” mentioned Yosuke. “Like, who threw him in the TV? Who would have the ability to do it besides all of us? Adachi is in prison, it wasn’t him this time.”

“Yeah,” Chie added, “and Namatame is out of the city at some countrywide mayoral convention or something.”

“Oh that’s right!” Yukiko remembered. “So it isn’t him, either!”

“That isn’t the only problem,” Naoto said quietly. She had been thinking about this since she arrived. “We still haven’t figured out why Teddie and Yukiko-senpai were unable to heal Kanji that first night.” She looked towards Souji. “Senpai?”

“I… I May know something about that. All of it really,” he said. “I just didn’t put it all together until hearing you guys try to puzzle it out like this. Margaret said something things when I went to get the medicine for Kanji.” Souji had everyone’s attention.

“W-What is it, Senpai? Tell us!” encouraged Rise.

“When I told her that we found a new area inside the TV that hadn’t been there before, and explained about Kanji’s injury, she mumbled something about her ‘meddling sister’.”

“Oh, right,” Chie said. “We ran into her during the P1 Grand Prix last year. Elizabeth, wasn’t it?”

“Right,” Souji answered. “When I asked, Margaret said something about ‘latent powers’ being brought to the surface. I didn’t know what she meant at the time, but I think maybe Elizabeth gave Naoki the power to enter the TV.”

“Does that mean it would work like your power does, Souji? The wild card?” asked Yosuke. 

“I’m not really sure,” he said. “And when I asked about Kanji, she muttered something about ‘more meddling’ and ‘testing true bonds’. “ He shrugged, not wanting anyone to take it as a sure thing. “It could have something to do with it.” The team was silent, lost in thought. Kanji finally broke the silence.

“So what’s the plan then? When are we going in, Senpai?”

“Tomorrow. First thing. We’ll spend the rest of today making preparations and getting some rest.” With that, the meeting ended. 

Kanji and Naoto walked back to the shopping district, and decided to stop by Konishi Liquors to ask a few questions. Normally they didn’t let teenagers inside, but they knew Kanji, and Naoto had worked with the police. Any of their other friends would have likely been turned away. They asked if Naoki was in, and when his mother mentioned that he hadn’t been home the night before, they asked the usual… when was the last time they saw him, had anything strange happened lately, and so on. Naoki's family hadn't noticed anything, leaving them without any new leads. There was not much else they could do, so they decided to spend the afternoon at the Samegawa. Night seemed to fall quickly. At sunset, Kanji walked Naoto home, then returned to the Textile shop. He hoped that sleep would come easier tonight.


	14. Chapter 14

The team assembled early the next morning, smuggling armor, weapons and other bizarre items through the food court as inconspicuously as possible. Kanji typically used whatever was convenient as a weapon. He grabbed a folding chair from the food court and tucked it under his arm. No one would think twice about it, unlike some of the other weapons like Senpai's sword. He had heard that both Souji and Yosuke had been hauled down to the police station for bringing a bunch of swords to Junes when they had first gotten their personas. _And they think I'm the idiot._

Kanji felt ready to do this, yet he still had concerns about the things that blue room chick Margaret had said. He found it hard to tear his eyes away from Naoto. His necklace was visible, no longer tucked in. She had shortened the chain, which had been much too long for how tiny she was. She caught him watching her and smiled. She seemed confident. He was proud to be dating such a strong woman.

Souji took the secondary team in first, so the main team wouldn’t tire out as quickly. They wanted to finish this today. No sense in dragging it out when Naoki was in trouble. This left Naoto, Kanji, and Teddie at the entrance guarding Rise. It was really boring. But at least they knew what was going on, thanks to Rise’s persona. After about 5 floors, the teams switched out. This was it, there was no turning back. Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko took over watching Rise, while the others started climbing to the top, taking out every shadow that got in the way.

The fights weren’t easy, but they also weren’t unlike what they’d seen before. They were easier than that first night, when the guys went in alone. Was it because Naoki had some special abilities like senpai? Or because this place wasn’t as… definite then?

It took another hour to reach the top. Finally, they burst into a room to find Naoki, and Naoki’s shadow. Kanji shuddered. He hated this part. Naoki definitely had the kind of baggage that produced a nasty shadow. 

“Finally,” said the shadow. “I’ve been waiting for so long… all alone.” The real Naoki looked towards the team with lifeless eyes. Then he looked back at his shadow.

“It doesn’t matter if they came or not,” he said. The shadow laughed. 

“Of course it does! All I want is to stop feeling so lonely! I want someone to be my friend. Someone to actually care about me.” The shadow sounded somewhat like Naoto’s at this point. Kanji was shaken. He moved forward a couple of steps. Souji flung an arm out in front of him, and Naoto tugged him back by his shirt. He knew this was something that Naoki had to face, but he really hated that he couldn’t do anything to help. 

The shadow had noticed his forward movement and turned to face him. “You!” it screamed. “Always meddling! You were my only _real_ friend. But you didn’t really care at all when it came down to it!”

“I-It wasn’t like that,” Kanji said softly.

“Oh, but it was! When I needed a friend the most, where were you? Not with _me_. With your _real_ friends.”

“H-Hey! I don’t think that!” Naoki shouted.

“Of course you think that,” the shadow continued. You are me, and I am you.”

“N-No…” started Naoki. The shadow turned back to Kanji. 

“And then you had the _nerve_ to come in here alone.”

“W-What? I never came in here alone…” Kanji was getting really flustered, What was it even talking about?

“You came here without the one you have the strongest connection with. That is the same as being alone.” Everyone’s eyes snapped to Naoto. She raised her eyebrows. The shadow continued to speak. “You hurt me, so I wanted you to know how I felt. I wanted you to suffer and hurt the way I hurt. I felt like I was being ripped apart. _Dying_.” Was this what Margaret had meant about ‘testing true bonds’? Naoki’s shadow had the ability to fatally hurt anyone who entered the TV without the person they were closest to? Did Naoto even count as who he was closest to before he came in here? He had wanted to be that close to her then, but he would have considered himself closer with senpai at that point. This shadow stuff was confusing.

“No!” Naoki shouted. “I would never have done that! How can you even say that? You’re not… you’re _not_ me!”

This is pretty much how it always went. It was the reason they had held Kanji back at first. Naoki was going to have to deny his shadow, so they could fight it and then he could accept it. It was a hard fight. Knowing what they knew now, Kanji was really glad that he and Naoto were on the same team. Ted would be able to fix them up at the end. The fight ended faster than he expected. They had had a lot of practice fighting shadows over the past couple of weeks. The shadow fell back to the floor. Naoki had been crouched down, eyes tightly shut during the fight. He opened them and sighed. He walked up to his shadow.

“I know, ok? I know you’re me. I know a part of me really felt that way. I was lonely and hurting after sis died, and everyone avoided me like I was contagious. It was especially hard to see someone who I thought was a true friend ignore me.” His eyes shifted briefly to Kanji and then back. “But it’s ok now, you know? I know that a lot of that was my own fault. I didn’t try to connect with anyone. I was afraid. Afraid to go on living when Saki didn’t get to. I get it now. I have to live… for her, and for me.” The shadow turned into a glowing blue light and vanished, a tarot card landing in Naoki’s hand. Then he slumped to the floor.

The team gathered around. Naoki sat up and shook his head. His eyes searched for Kanji. “I need… we have to talk about this. I need to apologize, and explain…”

Kanji cut him off. “Later, ok? We’ll talk later. Been a rough day.” They helped Naoki out of the TV, and Souji helped Kanji walk him home. Kanji promised Naoki that he would be back the next afternoon to talk. Then he went home and up to his room. He was having a hard time not blaming himself for what had just happened. _I should have been there for him._


	15. Chapter 15

Naoto had grown up climbing trees at her grandfather’s estate. She spent most of her younger years in the yard, perfecting each swing up higher into the branches. She stopped doing it years ago, when she began binding her chest so that she would appear to be a boy. It was impossible to get enough breath for climbing with her chest bound. Now that she had stopped, it should be easy. She sent a text, pocketed her phone, took a deep breath and began to climb. She gracefully danced up higher and higher in the tree, until she reached her desired destination. 

Kanji had been laying in bed, not sleeping for an hour. His phone buzzed.

 

_OPEN YOUR WINDOW._

 

He was very confused by this, but he walked across the room and slid the window open all the way. He took a step back, frowning. He didn’t see anything outside. Just the stupid tree that pretty much blocked his window. And then Naoto launched herself, landing gracefully in front of him. She looked very pleased.

“W-What the hell are you doing? He stuttered. “You could have hurt yourself!”

“Please,” she said, giving him a smug look. 

“I’m just saying, your text could have said ‘open the door’ and I’d have come down and let you in.” Naoto smiled.

“This was much more fun. And had less of a chance of waking your mother.” She had a point. He should probably lower his voice if he wanted to not wake up Ma. He returned to the bed, laying back down on his side. She laid down facing him. He closed his eyes tightly.   
“I almost lost you,” she said softly.

“Didn’t. So it doesn’t matter,” he said grumpily. He peeked at her. “If none of this happened, do you think we’d have gotten together?”

“Eventually,” she smiled. He shut his eyes again. Naoto placed her hand on his arm. He opened his eyes and held his arms wide open, wrapping them securely around her when she moved in close. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, Naoto,” he said with a content sigh.

A week later brought the last day of vacation. Kanji had spoken to Naoki and reassured him that there were no hard feelings. It wasn’t very likely, but if there was ever another threat in the TV world, Naoki would be a member of the team. He had been spending quite a bit of time with his new group of friends. 

Today, the Investigation Team decided to head to the beach one last time before going back to school. Kanji and Naoto stood together holding hands, facing the ocean. Their friends were busy playing in the water as the sky lit up in a brilliant shade of pink. Kanji thought, _sunsets and strawberries?_

Naoto absentmindedly held onto her necklace with her free hand. She and Kanji sure had changed each other in such a short amount of time, she noted, feeling her fitted blouse move against her skin with the breeze. She glanced at him, taking in his neatly combed hair, freshly dyed back to its natural black, and his neatly pressed clothing. The other students were in for quite a surprise this semester! She spent another moment watching their friends laugh under the sky, then looked up at him and smiled. He put his arm around her, where it had belonged all along. Both of them were sad to see summer end, and looking forward to finding out what comes next.


End file.
